Lovely lunch may not lead to dinner
Erzulie, which opened in winter 2003, started as a lunch spot for the Financial District and has been expanding gradually into offering dinner Wednesday through Saturday. The brick-lined nook off Pine Street fills a needed niche in the Financial District lunch scene, midway between pricey celebrity chef restaurants and counter joints that toss soup-and-sandwich at cubicle rats as they rush by.

Life at Erzulie begins with corn cakes. I've had two versions: one meatless at lunch, one with ham at dinner. Both were outstanding: crisp outside, creamy inside, providing a slightly sweet, slightly salty base for zingy sauces.

As lunch, the duck gumbo eats like a meal and is addictively good: spicy, creamy, meaty. My companion raved over his sandwich but mourned the lack of beignets on the dessert menu.

When I returned for dinner with a different companion, beignets were available, though a little on the greasy side. His pork chop in mango sauce was sweet, smoky, and tender. My pecan-crusted fish was crunchy and tangy; the accompanying grits were possibly the only grits I've ever eaten voluntarily. A caution, though: the grits and the corn cakes with ham seem to use the same batter, making the combination both repetitive and heavy in a single meal.

Service was excellent on both occasions: attentive but unobtrusive. Unlike many restaurants, the server took the trouble to keep our bottle of white wine chilled.

People who are sensitive to fat in cooking might want to make a point of ordering lightly -- salad and soup, rather than a main dish. I found the overall meal heavier than might have been ideal. The dinner menu seems a tad formal for the moderately funky setting; lunch, however, is delightful.    []

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Duck gumbo

     ­Anonymous